Synthetic needle for sewing leather or the like



Feb. 8, 1966 s. CATANlA 3,233,800

SYNTHETIC NEEDLE FOR SEWING LEATHER OR THE LIKE Filed April 22, 1963 4% INVENTOR 71% P2 7312? fiff/V/d iwmmu United States. Patent 3,233,800 SYNTHETIC NEEDLE FOR SEWING LEATHER OR-THE LIKE Salvatore Catania, 1633 Palisade Ave., Fort Lee, NJ. Filed Apr. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 274,483 1 Claim. (Cl. 223-402) This invention relates to a needle for sewing leather or like material.

In the manufacture of certain types of shoes, mocassins, etc., it is customary to form rows of openings in the sole which are in effect .arcuate with their entrance and exit at the top surface of the sole, the opening lying between the top and bottom surfaces of the sole. In general these openings are formed with a sewing awl. The subsequent need to pass thread through these openings requires the use of special curved needles which being made of metal are rigid, resulting in difficutly in passing the needle through the opening due to friction and the fact that the curvature of the needle oftentimes does not correspond with the curvature of the opening, making this operation inefficient and time consuming.

It is acordingly the principal object of this invention to form a sewing needle with an eye at one end of a durable plastic material such for example as nylon, the needle being substantially rigid yet flexible and of a thickness materially less than the diameter of the sewing awl employed, so that it may be readily inserted into the formed opening, accommodate itself by flexure to the curvature of the opening to thereby pass freely through the opening.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the invention in use as applied to a sole of a shoe, and the conventional awl for forming the holes in the sole.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2, FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of a preferred form of the invention.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4, FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of a first modified form of the invention.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66, FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a side view of a second modified form of the invention.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken on line 88, FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a side elevational view of a third modified form of the invention.

FIGURE 10 is a side elevational view of a fourth modified form of the invention.

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view taken on line 11-11, FIGURE 10.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, 10 denotes a conventional sewing awl having a curved metallic Prong 11. The awl 10 is employed in the manner well known to form the curved openings 12 as shown in a shoe sole 13. As will be seen each opening 12 lies wholly within the body of the sole with its entrance 14, and exit 15 positioned on the top face 16 of the sole.

The invention consists generally of an elongated needle formed of a slender thread or rod hereinafter referred to as a wire suitable plastic material such for example as Nylon. Preferably the needle 20' shown generally in FIGURES 1 and 2 is made of a plastic that is substantially self-sustaining, that is, a given length constituting the length of the needle will be substantially rigid while at the same time the needle will be flexible and "ice possess an inherent resiliency that will permit the needle when inserted into the opening 12 to flex to the curvature of the opening as it is passed therethrough and to resume its original straight condition when it is removed from the opening. I

The needle 20 is of a uniform diameter substantially less than the diameter of the opening 12 or of the prong 11 forming the opening such that it may be freely inserted into and through the opening. In view of its small diameter, the needle used need not necessarily be pointed. Provided at one end of the needle 20 is an elongated constricted eye 21 for the reception of a thread 22. Preferably the eye 21 is enlarged by pressure on its end so as to permit ready threading of 'the thread therethrough, this due to the flexibility and resiliency of the plastic material. be deflected and expanded laterally to permit easy passage of the thread through the opening 12.

In the modified form of needle shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the needle 25 is formed of a length of small diam eter wire of plastic material wound on itself to provide an eye '26, the wound together length of wire being joined together by a heat seal.

In the modified form of needle shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, the needle 28 is formed of small diameter wire of plastic material circular in cross-section similar to the needle 20. In this instance the eye 29 i normally elongated with the opening constricted, such that flattening of the eye 29 will enlarge the opening as shown by the dotted lines to facilitate inserting the thread 30 there- !through, whereupon the eye 29 will return to its normal constricted condition securely holding the thread 30 therein.

In the modification of FIGURES 7 and 8, the needle 32 is formed of small diameter wire of plastic material circular in cross-section, and in this instance the body portion 33 of the needle is made relatively soft and flexible while the end portion 34 thereof is made relatively stiff. In this modification, the eye 35 is strengthened by opposed buttress walls 36, 37 arranged in the same plane.

In the modification of FIGURE 9, the needle 40 is formed of small diameter wire of plastic material which may be circular or any other shape in cross-section. The eye 41 of the needle is formed with a pointed extension 42 co-extensive with the needle proper and which in itself may serve as a needle or as a handle for manipulating the needle 40.

In the modification of FIGURES l0 and 11, the needle 45 is formed of plastic material to provide an upper arm 46 terminating in a point 47 provided with a shoulder 48; and a lower arm 49 of channel formation dimensioned to snugly receive in friction engagement the upper arm 46. The end of the arm 46 remote from the point 47 is joined to the arm 49 by a bowed resilient portion 50, such that when the arm 46 is separated from the arm 49 the two arms will be in diverging relationship as shown in FIGURE 10. With the arms engaged, the shoulder 48 of the point 47 will engage and abut the terminal end 50 of the channel arm 49, so that the point 47 will be braced. The bowed portion 51 will serve as the eye of the needle.

In each of the modifications illustrated and described the characteristics of the needle will be the same as set forth above with regard to the needle 20.

While certain novel features of my invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The eye 21 thus flattened will' Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

A needle formed wholly of a plastic material, said needle comprising a shank. of soft plastic that is relatively flexible, resilient and self-sustaining, a normally constricted and elongated eye at one end of said shank, defined by a flexible resilient loop adapted under endwise pressure to be deflected to effect lateral widening of the eye, whereby to facilitate threading of a thread therethroug'h, and a ,pair of like buttress walls, one on each side of said shank, and in 'the same plane as the loop defining. said eye and integrally joined to said loop and shank for strengthing said eye, said buttress walls being each of a uniform thickness less than the thickness of said loop and the diameter of said shank with the outer edges of. said buttress walls converging from said loop to said shank, and anintegral ipoint portion at the other end of said shank of stifi plastic material of the same-cross-sectional dimensions as said shank and which is relatively hard and rigid.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain. Great Britain. Italy.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. NILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner. 

